Marni Playland

Tavia Bonetti & Matt Champion's New Chapter in Seoul

March 19, 2025

In recent years, Seoul has cemented its place as a cultural epicenter. The city effortlessly merges the old with the new, showcasing some of the world’s most advanced technologies against the backdrop of ancient architecture and historic streets. In the art and fashion scene, designers and artists are paying homage to traditional practices and materials while simultaneously reinventing the ways we interact with them.Similarly, in the music world, South Korea’s influence has reached far beyond its borders, with national stars becoming global icons. For these reasons and more, Seoul has garnered the attention of top creatives from all over the world.

Still, for most, the idea of packing up and moving halfway across the globe remains little more than a daydream. But for Tavia Bonetti, Matt Champion, and Toro (their dog), it’s just another chapter in their ever-evolving story. At the start of this year, the couple swapped their sun-soaked life in LA for the crisp winter of Seoul. Then again, it comes as no surprise; whether it’s Bonetti’s journey as a model and designer or Champion’s musical career, both artists have long been known for embracing change and expanding the horizons of their careers.

Talent Tavia Bonetti Matt Champion
Interview and Photos by Vivian Kim
Styling by Tavia Bonetti, Eunchan Lee, and Heerim Han
HMU by Hyejin Cho

We caught up with the pair in Seoul, where they were excited to show me around some of their favorite spots. I was impressed (considering the language barrier) to find that they had already made friends with the shop owners and restaurateurs of their frequent spots. Though we couldn’t walk five minutes without someone stopping us to pet Toro (who can blame them?), we somehow managed to cover a lot of ground — captivated by the interesting storefronts, food vendors, and craftspeople on every street. In the interview below, we chat with Bonetti and Champion about their Seoul experience thus far.

Getting out and experiencing different places always sparks something, whether that be a strange lamp or a multicolored staircase. It’s important to feed your curiosity, live life, and find things to pull from creatively.

What has inspired the big move, and how did you guys make it a reality?

We felt we were due for a change, something that would take us out of comfort. Knowing it was time, we jumped on the impulse before we could change our mind. We put everything in storage and booked one way tickets to Seoul.

There is a lot of buzz around the creative scene coming out of Seoul, what do you think is special about it?

We moved right before winter, and even in the colder months, you can feel the buzz from the restaurants, bars, cafes, and people. I love that each place has its own unique charm. Some places are tucked away hidden for your discovery, some are right on the main streets, and others overlook a beautiful view of the city. I can’t wait to see and explore more in the spring.

Tavia, what parts of Seoul so far have inspired your designs/fashion?

I have been snowboarding a lot in Korea/Japan this winter and I feel inspired by the mountain attire as a whole. This is something that has always inspired me but seeing it out here puts a new perspective on how to dress functionally while remaining super stylish.

And do you feel like your personal style reflects what you design for consumers?

Definitely, I make things for me first, I wouldn’t want to make anything that I don’t want to wear myself. Just like shopping Im not going to buy something unless it really resonates with me or i feel its a need not a want.

In what ways is this move representative of a shift in your careers?

This move for me represents taking time for the things you love. I love designing clothes but I want to feel comfortable doing so at my own pace. I’ve been enjoying designing things that I might not even put out for years to come, and even letting some things just be for me.

You are both seen as pioneers in your respective fields. How do different places shape your work and creative process? How important is it to shake up routine, and indulge in new experiences?

M: Getting out and experiencing different places always sparks something, whether that be a strange lamp or a multicolored staircase. It’s important to feed your curiosity, live life, and find things to pull from creatively.

T: For me the creative process always starts with visuals, and small adventures within a new place. Being patient and fully taking in my surroundings completely is an extremely important part of my process. This goes for everything, like watching a new movie and making sure not to multitask which happens far too often these days.

What has excited you recently in your personal or artist life?

T: I’ve been really excited about some of the people I have met this year and certain relationships that have grown closer since moving this far away. When you make a big change, it’s interesting to see the new things and people that come with that.

What are you both working on currently?

M: I recently went on a two hour walk with our dog & I started a children’s book about it just for fun.

Tavia, you’ve styled Matt in the past. How often do you guys collaborate and intersect creatively? What is that process like?

Styling for Matt has been my favorite, especially for his own personal projects. Getting to be a small part of the worlds he builds fuels me to think outside of what I would normally make. I get to make custom one-of-one pieces that help transport viewers to another realm. Apart from collaboration, we value each others’ opinions highly. It is nice to know we can get true, raw feedback. It’s a special process that can help nudge the final product towards where it needs to go.

Ok and knowing you’re both foodies, we can’t not touch on this. What has been your favorite authentic Korean dish?

Finding new restaurants is one of our favorite things to do, and Korea’s food scene is one of the best I’ve experienced. Some favorite dishes we have tried so far are: Kimchi Pilaf, Honghap-tang (Korean Mussel Stew), and Samgyeopsal (thinly sliced pork belly). Matt, you create such interesting worlds for your visualizers and videos.

Where do you find inspiration for your art?

M: I’m in love with storytelling, especially in film & video games. If there is a moment where an emotion or relationship can be fully explained in a matter of ten seconds, it amazes me. The ability to instantly bring an audience or listener to understand something that is so layered in an instant is such a wonderful thing. A thing that is done so well in the two.

Culture

Night of Desire

The night was sweaty, steamy, and scantily clad in more ways than one. The event, titled Night of Desire, consisted of more than one hundred of New York’s finest literary snobs gathered in and around a mosaic-tiled pool, listening to performers share written works centered around their various interpretations of “desire.”

“My male gynecologist asks me if I smoke and scrapes out a bit of my cervix — scooped it like sherbet!” exclaimed Cat Cohen.

“Various” may have been an understatement.

We shivitzed and sipped as tales of forbidden workplace eroticism, drug addiction, and aforementioned fan fictions involving certain US senators echoed through the marble room.

My male gynecologist asks me if I smoke and scrapes out a bit of my cervix — scooped it like sherbet!

“Mistress of Ceremonies” aka Camille Sojit Pejcha, author of Pleasure-Seeking, a multichannel platform exploring desire, sex, and modern culture, teamed up with SUBSTACK to host the event. “We wanted to push people out of their comfort zones and throw an event that wasn’t like any literary salon they’d been to before. Not a stuffy bookstore reading, but a swimsuit-clad crowd sipping Russian vodka, mingling in the sauna, and splashing around in the pool between readings” she explained.

And push us out of our comfort zones, they did. But once the initial shock of seeing colleagues and industry associates in swimwear wore off, the evening ended up being incredibly intimate, yet casual, and I have to admit, downright fun. Once we abused the open bar and cycled through the sauna, steam room and ice bath enough times to need another drink we listened to performers including Camille Sojit Pejcha, Brontez Purnell, Cat Cohen, J Wortham, Jaboukie, Liara Roux, Mary H.K. Choi, Old Jewish Men, and Sherry Ning.

(PICTURED Camille Sojit Pejcha)

It would be an understatement to say that my prior exposure to bathhouses is limited: a couple of episodes of The Sopranos, some PG history lessons on ancient Rome, and some less PG stories from a gay friend about the West Village Equinox steam room. But even then, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the naturalness of the space. Transitioning from the social hubs of ancient Rome to shady New York mob deals, then to queer cruising, and now to an experimental literary salon feels like the most natural evolution—a culmination of a bathhouse's history and a reinvention of its taboos.

A place of great vulnerability but, at the same time, incredibly tranquil and ultimately human, the theme of the night could not have been more fitting for the setting. “Desire drives everything" Camille went on, "from what we want in bed to how we see ourselves, the clothes we buy, and the people we spend time with. It’s a cultural force in and of itself, and we should take it seriously—but not too seriously.”

Intermixed between tie dyed speedos and wet hair, was a night of boozing, smooshing, steaming, icing, swimming, laughing, and crying. I send my sincerest apologies to the 300 people on the waitlist—it was an unforgettable evening that can’t be captured in words, the best Tuesday night I've had in New York City, and without a doubt the hardest thing I've had to describe to the office the next morning.

Culture

Climax Books Hosts Launch for VOLUME Ø’s Sixth Issue

The respective crowds merged with ease as the Climax store on East 4th street grew packed and guests poured out into the street. Whitney Mallet, a fashion mainstay and founder of The Whitney Review of New Writing held court outdoors while Jackson Howard, an editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux chatted with Ava Nope of Heaven by Marc Jacobs. Inside, the editors of VOLUME Ø, John Lippman and Anne Healy laughed with Mr. Mickey, Willa Bennett and indie darling Cole Doman, who all crammed themselves into Climax’s signature latex covered benches.

At about 8:15 the party moved halfway down the block to KGB bar, a space famous for literary history. Music was provided by Sabrina Fuentes and Manon Macasaet while mini cakes, in the exact hue of the new VOLUME Ø cover, were provided by 2breakfasts. Over martinis and what Peyton Dix referred to as “sample size cakes” playwright Jacob Wasson argued fiercely with designer Kingsley, photographer Hunter Abrams and bookstagram sweetheart Mikey Friedman about the new Lady Gaga album which had dropped only hours earlier. In a corner of the bar a party goer was seen with their nose in a copy of VOLUME Ø which you can subscribe to here.

Charles Caesar captured the whole scene on polaroid which you can check out below.